THEY GAVE ALL

1st Infantry Division has taken casualties early on.

Capt. John “Hans” Kurth, 31, of Columbus, Wis., and his driver, Spc. Jason Ford, 21, of Bowie, Md., died early Saturday when their Humvee — part of a three-vehicle Company B convoy patrolling near the 1st Infantry Division’s new headquarters in Tikrit — was struck by a makeshift roadside bomb.

Two days later, the men of their unit gathered to mourn them at Forward Operating Base Omaha, Task Force 1-18’s headquarters in Tikrit. Their war had lasted barely a week.

“These two men fell in a split second, on the dark streets of this city,” said Lt. Col. Jeffrey Sinclair, the battalion commander. “Separated by rank, lifestyles, and a decade of time, they were joined by the common bond of serving our nation.”